A Pokemon fan has designed unique convergent forms for Psyduck and Golduck, turning the Pokemon line into a Poison-type. In addition to changing the typing, this Pokemon design makes a twist on Psyduck’s usual themes of confusion and headaches.
Convergent Pokemon evolutions are one of the more unique creations to come to the series over the last many years. Taking inspiration from the real-world phenomenon of the same name, the series introduced Pokemon that are similar in appearance to existing Pokemon, but have no direct connection to them. For example, Wiglett bears a strong resemblance to Diglett, but one is a water-based eel, while the other is based upon a ground-dwelling mole. Not all Pokemon have received convergent evolutions, so fans have often taken it upon themselves to come up with some.
Pokemon Fan Creates Convergent Forms for Diglett and Dugtrio
A Pokemon fan makes convergent forms for Diglett and Dugtrio, and shows what it would be like if the Gen 1 monster had new variants.
Psyduck Fanart Introduces the Pokemon’s Poison-Type Convergent Line
A Pokemon fan called veredien29 shared their idea for a convergent Psyduck line, which switches the Pokemon from a single-typed Water-type to a Water/Poison-type Pokemon called Sighduck. In addition to using a homonym of Psyduck for its name, Sighduck looks like a depressed version of a Shiny Psyduck, sporting a blue color scheme with dark highlights on its body and around its eyes. The traditional three hairs on Psyduck’s head have become longer and hang down over its face, giving the Pokemon an overall gloomy look. They’re fitting redesign choices, as the artist says that they wanted to create a Psyduck convergent evolution that’s based upon sadness and dark emotions rather than Psyduck’s usual confusion and latent psychic abilities.
According to the artist, Sighduck evolves into Greve at level 32, becoming a Dark/Poison-type Pokemon, but only if it has low friendship with its trainer. Greve has a more original appearance, deviating from standard Golduck considerably. The upright Pokemon evolution has long tresses that hang down from the top of its head to the base of its back. Greve’s color becomes darker, with a more purplish tinge, red eyes, and more pronounced feathers on its tail and wings. Part of Greve’s design takes inspiration from real-world oil spills and their impact on wildlife birds, as its feathers and body have been stained and appear to droop.
Fans in the comments have been enthusiastic about the fan’s Pokemon ideas. One commenter suggested giving the Sighduck line the ability Despair, which would work similarly to Intimidate, but based upon the Pokemon’s Special Attack, which the original artist loved the idea of. Others pointed out the clever choice of Greve’s naming and appearance, as it’s a wordplay pun on both “grief” and Grebes, a type of diving freshwater bird.
Despite Stagnancy, Psyduck Appreciation Carries On
Long-time fans of Pokemon will likely recall that it’s been a long time since Psyduck has received any significant changes in the standard games. Psyduck and its evolution Golduck have been around since the series launched, and it hasn’t received any unique evolutions, forms, or convergent evolutions in all the years since.
Despite its lack of updates in the games, Psyduck remains a popular part of the franchise, serving as something of a mascot character in numerous projects. Psyduck has been featured in major Pokemon projects outside of games, being heavily featured in the movie Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, as well as the Netflix series Pokemon Concierge. It likely gained a good deal of its popularity from its appearances in the original Pokemon anime, where it provided a lot of comedic relief and occasionally saved the day with its psychic powers. Even the screenwriters responsible for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu wanted Psyduck in the movie because they were fans, and Junichi Masuda, one of the original developers behind the Pokemon series, points to Psyduck as his favorite.
There’s no telling if Psyduck will ever get an official update in the games with something like a Mega Evolution, but its popularity seems likely to carry on.
